Abstract
An annealed 50CrV4 steel was subjected to cyclic heat treatment process that consists of repeated short-duration (200 s) held at 840 °C (above A c3 temperature of 790 °C) and short-duration (100 s) held at 700 °C (below A c1 temperature of 710 °C). The spheroidization ratio of cementite and the average size of particles increase with increasing the cyclic number of heat treatment. After 5-cycle heat treatment, the spheroidization ratio of cementite is 100%, and the average size of the cementite particles is about 0.53 μm. After cyclic heat treatment, the hardness, ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the experimental steel gradually decrease with increasing cyclic number of heat treatment. The elongation of the as-received specimens is about 7.4%, the elongation of the 1-cycle specimen is 14.3%, and the elongation of 5-cycle specimen reaches a peak value of 22.5%, thereafter marginally decreases to 18.3% after 6-cycle heat treatment. Accordingly, the fractured surface initially exhibits the regions of wavy lamellar fracture. By increasing the cyclic number of heat treatment cycles, the regions of dimples consume the entire fractured surface gradually. Some large dimples can be found in the fracture surface of the specimen subjected to six heat treatment cycles.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
GUO Wen-yuan, LI Jun. Subcritical spheroidization of medium-carbon 50CrV4 steel [J]. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 2012, 21: 1003–1007.
ÜBEYLI M, YILDIRIM R O, ÖGEL B. On the comparison of the ballistic performance of steel and laminated composite armors [J]. Materials and Design, 2007, 28: 1257–1262.
MONDANL D K, DRY R M. Effect of structures on response to spheroidization in a eutectoid plain carbon steel [J]. Transactions of IIM, 1984, 37: 351–356.
TIAN Yong-lai, WAYNE R K. Mechanisms of pearlite spheroidization [J]. Metallurgiacl Transaction A, 1987, 18A: 1403–1414.
BARANOVA V A, SUKHOMLIN G D. Spheroidization of cementite in steel [J]. Metal Science and Heat Treatment, 1981, 11: 51–55.
ZHU Guo-hui, ZHANG Gang. Directly spheroidizing during hot deformation in GCr15 steels [J]. Frontiers of Materials Science in China, 2008, 2(1), 72–75.
CHOU C C, KAO P W. Accelerated spheroidization of hypoeutectoid steel by the decomposition of supercooled austenite [J]. Journal of Materials Science, 1986, 21: 3339–3344.
SAHA A, MONDAL D K, BISWAS K, MAITY J. Microstructural modifications and changes in mechanical properties during cyclic heat treatment of 0.16% carbon steel [J]. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2012, 534: 465–475.
SAHA A, MONDAL D K, MAITY J. Effect of cyclic heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of 0.6wt% carbon steel Mater [J]. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2010, 527: 4001–4007.
SAHA A, MONDAL D K, BISWAS K, MAITY J. Development of high strength ductile hypereutectoid steel by cyclic heat treatment process [J]. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2012, 541: 204–215.
LV Zhi-qing, WANG Bo, WANG Zhen-hua, FU Wen-tao. Effect of cyclic heat treatments on spheroidizing behavior of cementite in high carbon steel [J]. Science and Engineering A, 2013, 574: 143–148.
O’BRIEN J M, HOSFORD W F. Spheroidization of medium-carbon steels [J]. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 1997, 6: 69–72.
O’BRIEN J M, HOSFORD W F. Spheroidization cycles for medium carbon steels [J]. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 2002, 33A: 1255–1261.
KARADENIZ E. Influence of different initial microstructure on the process of spheroidization in cold forging [J]. Materials and Design, 2008, 29(1): 251–256.
GANG U G, LEE J C, NAM W J. Effect of prior microstructures on the behavior of cementite particles during subcritical annealing of medium carbon steels [J]. Metals and Materials International, 2009, 15(5): 719–725.
KUMAR R. Physical metallurgy of iron and steel [M]. Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1968: 92–93.
SPEICH G R, SZIRMAE A. Formation of austenite from ferrite and ferrite-carbide aggregates [J]. Transactions of the Metallurgical Society of AIME, 1969, 245: 1063–1074.
SAHA A, MONDAL D K, MAITY J. An alternate approach to accelerated spheroidization in steel by cyclic annealing [J]. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 2011, 20(1): 114–119.
XIONG Yi, HE Tian-tian, GUO Zhi-qiang, HE Hong-yu, REN Feng-zhang, VOLINSKY A. Mechanical properties and fracture characteristics of high carbon steel after equal channel angular pressing [J]. Materials Science and Engineering A, 2013, 563: 163–167.
LUO Guo-ming, WU Jing-si, FAN Jin-feng, SHI Hai-sheng, LIN Yi-jian, ZHANG Jing-guo. Microstructure and mechanical properties of spray-deposited ultra-high carbon steel after hot rolling [J]. Materials Characterization, 2004, 52(4): 263–268.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Hy., Han, Ms., Li, Dw. et al. Effect of cyclic heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of 50CrV4 steel. J. Cent. South Univ. 22, 409–415 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-015-2536-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-015-2536-4